Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition

Culverts installed on Broad Run Trail

neil.nelson — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:35:04 +0000

On May 12, 2012 PWTSC volunteers reinforced the Broad Run Trail through Braemar by installing culverts to prevent the newly-laid stone dust from washing out in the rain. Park Authority staff had delivered the culverts to the site, and the twelve volunteers (including Mike DePue from the Park Authority) put them in. Over the winter months, Park Authority crews had improved the trail by placing crushed stone on the trail as a foundation and surfacing it with stone dust. Spring rains revealed locations where run-off concentrated and had begun to wash out the new trail surface. The culverts will help to prevent further washouts and keep the trail in good condition.

Occoquan River Cleanup 4-14-12

kelly.jimenez — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:51:58 +0000

If you didn’t get a chance to join the fun on Saturday, April 14, 2012, from 9am – 3pm, here is what you missed! Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition (PWTSC) successfully coordinated and conducted a multi-prong clean-up event from 12 different sites along more than 26 miles of the Occoquan River. The clean-up ranged from the river’s confluence of Cedar Run/Broad Run, through Lake Jackson, from the base of Lake Jackson Dam to south of Lake Ridge Marina. It also included the Lower Occoquan River shoreline from the Town of Occoquan to a point 4 miles down-river. The Friends of the Occoquan (FOTO) partnered with PWTSC at the Lake Ridge Marina and Occoquan Regional Park sites in addition to having 3 of their own sites (Bull Run Marina, Fountainhead Marina, and Town of Occoquan) along the river.

THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered! There were 144 PWTSC volunteers (not including the numbers from FOTO) that came out to help clean up over 7000 pounds of trash (3.5 tons) on or near the water, or assisted in moving the debris on shore to waiting trucks or dumpsters. Approximately 70 watercraft (kayaks, canoes, rowboats, motorized jon boats, pontoon boats, a 22 foot motor boat and a 24 foot motor boat) put-in at various sites to collect debris along the shores of the river. This was a collaborative effort that included Prince William County (PWC) Park Authority, PWC Public Works, the PW Soil and Water Conservation District, four Home Owners Associations; rescue boats from Lake Jackson VFD and the Lake Ridge OWL VFD, REI, PW Izaak Walton League, Bradley Forest Recreation Association, Lake Jackson Citizens Association, PWC BOCS, and Northern VA Regional Park Authority, Occoquan Watertrail League, Neabsco Action Alliance ,and Keep PW Beautiful.

The cleanup was registered as an Alice Ferguson Foundation (AFF) site as part of their 24th Annual Potomac River Watershed Clean-up. AFF provided gloves and trash bags for the cleanup. Liaison with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority was made to provide free launch passes to kayakers/canoeists entering from the Bull Run Marina or Fountainhead Marina. Lake Ridge Marina and Occoquan Regional Park provided free rental of kayaks, canoes, and rowboats for volunteers helping with the cleanup.

The types of trash removed, included: 83 tires, mattress, wrecked sunfish sailboat, broken jon boat, 5 gallon bucket of tile adhesive, swimming pool, rolling suitcase, car fender, 7 car batteries, 2 oil drums, over 200 bags of trash and 35 bags of recyclables, chairs, balls, picnic table, a fishing rod, and more.

Stay tuned on this website for details about the next Occoquan River Cleanup (April 2013) – you don’t want to miss out on this fun and worthwhile event!

Dog walkers make progress towards goal

neil.nelson — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:43:18 +0000

The Dog Walk event in Lake Ridge on April 28 drew about 160 human participants with 180-190 dogs. Dog walkers and other supporters contributed $2,694 to the fund for the new dog park, to be located on Minnieville Road. The event was sponsored by PWC Dogs, a volunteer group working to raise funds needed to open the planned dog park. Participants in the Dog Walk gathered at Lake Ridge Park. For some, it was their first visit to the Park; for others already familiar with the Park, it was their first opportunity to walk the trail along the Occoquan Reservoir. The 2.75 mile route included the new connection between the reservoir trail and the blacktop sidewalk along Hedges Run Drive, which allows walkers, runners or bicyclists to complete a loop starting and ending in Lake Ridge Park. Thanks to the Park Authority for hosting the event – it was a busy morning at the Park with the Dog Walk, crew team activity, and normal Saturday morning activity at the golf and marina facilities.

6th Annual Duck Splash

zoe.vitter — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:56:47 +0000

Please help support PWTSC’s work by adopting a duck for the 6th Annual Duck Splash. On June 16, at 12:30pm we will drop 3,000 little rubber duckies into the Occoquan River at the Historic Town of Occoquan. The first 10 adopted ducks to cross the finish line win cash prizes for their owners. It is $5 to adopt a duck and while it is a lot of fun to be there when the ducks go in, you need not be present to win.

You can adopt a duck from any PWTSC Board member, at participating Occoquan Merchants, the Occoquan Farmer’s Market, at the Spring Occoquan Arts & Crafts Show, or right here on-line (use the “buy” button at the bottom of this page). On-line purchasers will receive a confirmation email with their assigned duck numbers generally within 24 hours of purchase.

The prizes are:
1^st Place     –       $500          6^th Place     –       $20
2^nd Place    –       $100          7^th Place     –       $20
3^rd Place     –       $100          8^th Place     –       $20
4^th Place     –       $100          9^th Place     –       $20
5^th Place     –       $100          10^th Place –       $20

All net proceeds from the event will benefit Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization devoted to expanding trails and streams access throughout Prince William County. Enjoy the atmosphere of beautiful historic Occoquan and support a great cause!

You can also help support PWTSC by selling Adopt-A-Duck tickets to your friends, family or at local events. Contact Zoe Vitter at 703-785-5785 or president@pwtsc.org for information.

New trail connection for Dog Walk

neil.nelson — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:17:25 +0000

Volunteers completed a new trail in Lake Ridge on Saturday morning, April 21, in preparation for the Dog Walk event to be held April 28, 2012. The Dog Walk is a fundraiser for the new dog park which will be located on Minnieville Road.

The new trail segment connects the existing trail along the Occoquan reservoir with Hedges Run Drive, and makes it possible to complete a 2.75 mile loop, starting and finishing in Lake Ridge Park. The route includes natural surface trails and blacktop sidewalks along the street.

Volunteers from the PWC Dogs group and the Prince William Trails & Streams Coalition participated. Just as soon as we finished working, a nearby resident decided to try out the new trail!

Marumsco Creek Cleanup on 3-17-12

kelly.jimenez — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:53:06 +0000

taking a break to watch his favorite TV show

Saturday, March 17, 2012, Prince William (PW) Park Authority sponsored an Adopt-A-Stream cleanup on Marumsco Creek in Veterans Park in partnership with PW Trails and Streams Coalition, PW Soil & Water Conservation District, Keep PW Beautiful, Neabsco Action Alliance, and PW County (Youth Ambassador Program). Over 70 volunteers came out to help fill 2 large roll off dumpsters with trash (including grocery carts, a couch, chairs, 2 televisions, lawn furniture, large trash cans, many 5 gallon buckets, toys, lumber, plywood, balls, a bicycle, a tricycle, an animal cage, a construction barrel, plastic and metal pipe, hundreds of bottles, cans, food wrappers, pieces of Styrofoam, plastic bags, and more) They also pulled 37 tires and a several hundred pounds of hazardous waste (including a 5 gallon bucket of paint, oil cans, propane tanks, gas cans, fire extinguishers, various types of spray cans, a large fuel tank, engine parts, and more) out of Marumsco Creek. The hard working volunteers removed a total of 7,105 pounds of trash in just 3 hours!

Plant Identification at Dove’s Landing

neil.nelson — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:37:29 +0000

On Saturday, April 7, we enjoyed a spring walk with Virginia Master Naturalist Carrie Blair at Dove’s Landing. Carrie helped us identify the trees and plants at this beautiful location that is normally closed to public access.

Mayor’s Paddles

earnie.porta — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 19:15:54 +0000

Occoquan Mayor and PWTSC Board Member, Earnie Porta, will once again be leading “Mayor’s Paddles”, sponsored by Occoquan Regional Park, on the first and third Saturday of every month starting this Saturday, April 7. These kayak tours begin at 11:00 a.m. at the park, and consist of an approximately one hour historic tour of the Town of Occoquan from the vantage point of the Occoquan River. Kayaks are available for rent for $10 at the park, or you may bring your own (there is a modest fee for launching from the park). You may also join the tours in progress directly from the river for free. Hope to see you out on the river!

Photo courtesy of Boyd Alexander

Metro DC Bike to Work Day 2012

rick.holt — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:00:18 +0000

Metro Washington Bike to Work Day is part of the national focus promoting Biking to Work as a commuting option. May is National Bike Month, May 14-18 is National Bike to Work Week and Friday, May 18, is the Metro Bike to Work Day event.

Bike to Work Day has been held annually in the Washington metropolitan region with a main rallying point or Pit Stop in downtown DC. This event has been coordinated by the Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA) for over a decade. In September 2000, the Commuter Connections program as a part of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments partnered with WABA to form a regional Bike To Work Day 2001 Steering Committee to examine the feasibility of adding additional Bike To Work Day Pit Stops or rallying points throughout the region, thus creating a larger awareness of using cycling to work as a viable commuting alternative. Over 10,000 bicyclists registered to participate in the 2011 event, visiting one of the forty-nine regional pit stops.

Bike to Work Day Pit Stops Located in Prince William County

Prince William County hosted Bike to Work Day pit stops for the second time in May 2011 at six different locations across the county, in the Town of Haymarket and the City of Manassas. We are adding a new pit stop this year at the Woodbridge VRE station. Please contact Rick Holt, rholt.bikedude@gmail.com, to find out how to get involved.

Each pit stop will offer a local mix of food, drinks, entertainment, dynamic speakers and chances to win bicycles and other sweet prizes. Please be sure to register with your pit stop location to be eligible for prizes and a Bike to Work Day t-shirt.

Registration is available at http://www.biketoworkmetrodc.org/.

Bike to Work Day 2012

How can you get involved?

• Promote the event
• Obtain monetary, or in kind, donations to support a pit stop
• Volunteer to work at a pit stop
• Volunteer to lead a convoy of bicyclists from a designated location to a pit stop and on to a destination
• Register to ride your bike to work/school

Benefits of Biking to Work

• Improves health and fitness
• Saves money
• Reduces traffic congestion
• Improves air quality

Healthy Paddles

zoe.vitter — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:09:44 +0000

This event is the kick-off of the Health Paddles program, a program designed for families to get outside and exercise by hiking and paddling.

Come out on Saturday, May 19th, 2012 at Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton, VA from 10 am – 3 pm. Recreation and health professionals will be on hand to help you build your personal health itinerary. The healthy paddles website will list dozens of hiking and paddling opportunities throughout the year for families to get out and meet their goals.

The National Park Trust has selected this event to celebrate National Kids To Parks Day.